Destinations › Colombia › Cartagena › Scams
Cartagena, Colombia
9 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Cartagena, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Dating-app matches leading to drugging and robbery, or to a bar where the bill is inflated and departure obstructed.
Beach vending on Playa Blanca and Bocagrande where massages, food and drinks are delivered unrequested and then charged at inflated rates.
Taxis are unmetered and run on published zones; fares several times the going rate are quoted to arrivals and to anyone leaving the walled city.
Glass and synthetic stones sold as Colombian emeralds by street and hotel-lobby dealers with meaningless certificates.
Island and Playa Blanca boat trips sold on the street that add compulsory island fees, lunch and park charges once the group has arrived and cannot leave.
Bracelets, hats and sweets placed on a visitor as a gift inside the walled city, with insistent payment demanded once accepted.
Phone snatching on the walls at sunset and around the Getsemaní bar streets at night.
Restaurant bills carrying unordered items and cover charges in the walled city and Getsemaní.
Payment demanded after a photograph of a palenquera fruit seller, with the amount named only afterwards.
